


Silver and Blue

by Mcarstairs



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, The Wicked Powers Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, F/M, High School, Kits a hard ass but it will soon be soft, Kleptomania, M/M, Partying, Plz I just love my kitty, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, it's gonna be a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mcarstairs/pseuds/Mcarstairs
Summary: In which Kit Rook is a reckless boy angry at the world, and he learns that not everyone is out to get him.Or,When Kit's dad is murdered, he realizes that he now has nowhere to go. But when a couple from California say they can take him in, saying that they'd been friends with his deceased cousin Will, it changes his life. Especially when he meets the Blackthorns.
Relationships: Cameron Ashdown/Livia Blackthorn, Drusilla Blackthorn & Kit Rook, Drusilla Blackthorn/Ash Morgenstern, Drusilla Blackthorn/Jaime Rosales, Julian Blackthorn/Emma Carstairs, Kit Rook/The Blackthorns, Livia Blackthorn & Tiberius Blackthorn & Kit Rook, Tiberius Blackthorn & Kit Rook, Tiberius Blackthorn/Kit Rook
Comments: 19
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sup
> 
> So this is also on wattpad lol under my account tsc-obsessed, so read it wherever u like
> 
> The first chapter is short lol but I'm planning to have like twenty
> 
> I LOVE KITTY OK AKDNSIWNJK SO ENJOY

KIT ROOK WAS A LOT OF THINGS. A criminal, yes. A crook, a playboy, a downright scoundrel, (as the old lady living across the street from him used to stay)- he was those things and more. He'd been called things that weren't even in his vocabulary, and though he didn't know what they meant, he probably deserved it. But one thing that Kit wasn't, was a liar.

His father was a liar. The biggest one there'd ever been. Heck, Johnny Rook lied for a living. He traded secrets and false remedies- it was his way of life. 

But Kit had never wanted to be like his father. Johnny Rook was a terrible person, and Kit had always thought that once he turned eighteen and moved out he'd be forever done with the man.

But that time came sooner than expected when a call came amidst the chaos of a screeching party, saying that there'd been a murder, saying that his father was dead.

Kit wasn't even shocked. His father had made a lot of enemies in his time, and it was honestly just a matter of time until someone he'd pissed off just a tad too much came after him.

Kit later came to realize that he barely even cared that his father was dead. If anything, it was only an inconvenience- now child services were up his ass, ready to shove him into any willing arms.

And that's how Kit found himself there, sitting in a horribly scratchy chair in a rather boring waiting room, fumbling around with his pocket knife to kill time as he waited for the news of where he'd be going next.

Kit was fairly sure it would be to an orphanage, or some foster home- there was surely no one else ready to take him in. He had no family and no friends, and he'd already accepted his fate of having to suffer in a loud, most likely disgusting group home.

That would certainly suck, but it would only be until April, when he turned eighteen. Only five more months, Kit tried to tell himself. He could make it.

Glaring defiantly at the old woman behind the front desk, Kit reached into a back pocket to pull out his lighter. It was a dark grey, the engraving C.R. standing boldly on the side in worn letters. It was one of the only gifts he had ever received from his dad. 

It flickered to life as he lit a cigarette, and the haggard woman just sighed and turned away, obviously too exhausted to reprimand any rebellious teenagers.

The door beside him opened, and Kit glanced up to see a tall woman standing in the doorway, looking down at him judgementally. Her hair, a strange white color despite her young age, contrasted with the dark skin of her face. He raised a defiant eyebrow, and she returned the look with a bored glare.

"Christopher Rook?" She asked, something akin to sarcasm in her tone.

Kit just nodded, pulling the cigarette from between his lips to let out a long puff of smoke. 

"Come in," She jerked her head toward the door, and glared at him over her shoulder. "And put that damn thing out."

With a small smirk, Kit got rid of the light and followed her into the office.

Strolling in, he unceremoniously flopped himself onto one of the large blue chairs in front of her desk, which were surprisingly much comfier than the ones in the waiting room. She cleared her throat, making him look up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I am Catarina Loss." She said, pulling a stack of papers from the desk to trifle through. "And I don't usually work in this department, so I have no problem yelling at you."

"Just get on with it." Kit rolled his eyes. "Which hell hole are they sending me to?"

"It's not a 'hell hole.'" She looked up, glancing at him with large blue eyes. "Your actually very lucky with the place we've found." She stared at him then, and Kit felt as if his very soul was being scrutinized. He glared back defiantly, until her gaze seemed to soften. His facade cracked the tiniest bit, and she pulled back, seemingly satisfied.

"A couple, very good friends of mine actually, have agreed to take you in." She said. "They were very close friends of your cousin before he died."

"Cousin?" Kit asked, eyebrows narrowed.

"Yes," She tilted her head. "Will Herondale. Your father never told you about him?"

Kit shook his head sharply.

"But that's still understandable." She shrugged her hair behind one shoulder. "He came from your mother's side, and even then it was a second or third cousin like, four times removed. Maybe not even a cousin, more like an uncle. Too complicated to be made out." She shrugged. "But anyway, they have agreed to take you in. They live in Los Angeles, so we've already booked you a flight."

"What if they change their mind about wanting me?" Kit asked, voice blank. Surely once these people got to know him, to know how much of a troublemaker he was, they wouldn't want him anymore. He'd be sent right back here.

Catarina tilted her head. "And why would they do that?"He could tell that she was trying to get a reaction from him, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. When he stayed silent, she shrugged. "They wish to adopt you, maybe after they've gotten to know you a bit." She gave him a look. "And they won't change their mind." There was a finality to her voice that surprised him.

"You'll be taken back to your house to collect your things, and your flight's tomorrow." She stacked up the papers. "Any questions?"

Kit stayed silent, glaring at the wall in front of him.

"Alright," she stood up. "C'mon then."

"To my death," Kit muttered as he stood up and followed her out of the room.


	2. A Mansion and a Toddler

IF THERE WAS ONE THING KIT DIDN'T LIKE, IT WAS AIRPLANES. (Of course, there were many, many things on Kit's do-not-like list, and planes weren't actually anywhere near the top, but the atmosphere of the plane itself had already hightened Kit's hate for them about a hundred percent.)

It wasn't that he was afraid of heights, or got airsickness, it was just the general suckiness of being stuffed into a hot plane full of screaming toddlers and gag-worthy smells for hours on end.

And it didn't help that he'd been on a plane many times before in his life. If anything, it just made it worse because he should've expected what was going to happen and charged his phone before liftoff. 

So with his phone dead and the few magazines by his chair featuring only the Kardashians, Kit was left with nothing but his depressing thoughts.

Kit usually didn't fancy thinking a lot. His life was a long chain of impulses and not thinking of any consequences, and though he got into more trouble than he'd like to admit, he was content that way. Someone would come up to him and ask, "Hey, do you wanna help set fire to that building over there?" And he'd shrug and say "Sure."

Though he was definitely drunk in this circumstance, you get the idea.

But sitting in a stuffy plane for twelve hours, surrounded by screaming toddlers and a fat bald guy that could definitely use a shower, Kit would rather think than observe anything around him.

His father certainly circulated his mind quite a bit, along with a bit of guilt for not saying anything in parting to his "friends." Though he had sent a quick text to his friends with benefits guy which read:

_Some stuff happened, and I'm leaving the country. Hope you have a nice life. Sayonora sucker_

Though he wasn't that guilty.

By the time the plane landed, Kit was positive he never wanted to travel in a plane again.

The next half hour was a blur— Kit was pushed out of the plane, he waited in a long line to get his stuff, and was soon dumped into the main part of the large airport.

Grumbling, he hoisted his single duffel bag onto his shoulder and looked around. He hadn't been told where to go, or who was picking him up, so he figured that wandering around aimlessly seemed to be his best bet.

After about ten minutes, he finally caught sight of a large sign reading CHRISTOPHER ROOK. It gave him very strong cliche romantic comedy vibes. At this distance, Kit couldn't see who was holding the sign, so he headed forward reluctantly, shoving aside a hugging couple that got in his way.

He finally stopped near the sign, who he could now see was being held by a dark-haired man with obvious Chinese roots. Beside him stood a brunette woman with kind eyes, holding a dark-haired toddler, maybe two or three years old. They hadn't caught sight of him yet, and were talking quietly to each other. The woman was smiling down at the fussing toddler, and the man was looking past him, toward the stairs that Kit had come down mere minutes ago.

Figuring that he couldn't prolong this any longer, Kit took a step closer. "You the lunatic couple that agreed to take me in?" The two startled, eyes darting to him in surprise before their expressions melted into kindness. Kit thought that it was almost sickening.

"Christopher!" The woman smiled. "We're so glad to meet you."

When Kit only glowered in response, she continued, not missing a beat. "My name is Tessa Carstairs, and this is my husband Jem." She put her arm around the man, who smiled at Kit. "And this is our little angel Mina." She grinned down at the toddler and took her hand.

"How was your flight?" The man Kit now knew as Jem asked. It almost seemed like he genuinely cared. "Fine." Kit snapped.

"Alright then." He smiled. It was honestly starting to confuse Kit. Shouldn't they be offended by Kit's attitude? "Are you ready to go, Christopher?"

"It's Kit." He glared.

"Ok, Kit." He picked up his toddler, and motioned for him to follow the small family. "Is that all your things?"

Kit grasped his duffel bag tighter as they walked. It was slighty falling apart, and he had to carry it a certain way to prevent the strap from breaking. "Yes."

"Oh, well we'll have to fix that." Tessa grinned at him. "Once your settled, maybe in a few days we could go shopping. It looks like you'll need a bit of everything."

Kit bit back a snarl, instead staying silent as they exited the airport and made their way to a rather normal black car. He put his bag in the back, and reluctantly climbed in, where he sat beside the baby.

Mina, he thought her name was. She was actually rather cute. Her dark eyes were wide as she stared at him, her mouth sucking on her tiny foot. Kit stared back at her, surprised.

"So, Kit." Tessa began as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Are you hungry?"

"A little." Kit grumbled, not wanting to admit that he hadn't eaten anything since before the flight. 

"Oh good, well we have plenty of snacks and sandwiches ready at home. You're free to help yourself to any of them."

Kit nodded and looked out the window, hopefully signalling that he didn't want to talk anymore. 

The city of Los Angeles seemed very alive, though he wouldn't expect any less. There was an infinite amount of cars and people, and as they turned a corner Kit thought he saw a flash of golden beach.

It was another twenty or so minutes before they came to a stop. Kit had been so absorbed in studying the outside that he jumped a little.

Realizing that Tessa was already outside and coming around to get Mina, Kit was quick to open the door and jump out. But he stumbled as he realized just where he was. Eyes widening, he looked up.

The Carstairs' were _rich_. Kit would've never guessed it- the car had been a rather normal model, and what little he knew about the Carstairs already just didn't make them seem like the kind of people who had money.

The house, or mansion as it was probably classified, rose high off the ground, at least three stories tall. It seemed rather rustic, with its bronze pillars and tarnishing stone, but he much preferred it to what could be a modern mansion. Kit didn't think he would be able to handle that.

Behind him, Jem came up and set a light hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome, Kit."

• • • • •

The moment they entered the house, Kit's hands were already twitching with the urge to steal.

His eyes sought anything of value, his brain working to calculate just how much it would be worth. The vase over there looked well over a few hundred dollars, and that picture frame could probably go for a good couple hundred-

"This is the living room." Tessa said, showing him into a large room filled with comfy looking couches and chairs. A large flatscreen TV hung on the wall. A few toys lay scattered across the ground, including a brunette barbie doll that Mina picked up on her way past. "We spend most of our time in here."

Next they led him to a kitchen where, true to their word, many different kinds of snacks were laid out. After a moment of hesitation, Kit grabbed a sandwich and took a quick bite.

His eyes widened. "This is really good."

"Thank you." Tessa grinned. "I made them myself."

Even that itself raised Kit's opinion of the family. It seemed that even though they were rich, they did not take things for granted. A chef didn't cook the food, and even the house itself had a homey feel to it, not one of a stoic family that only cared about social status.

He was led up a staircase that took place in a small room near the kitchen. From there, a hallway split three ways. "Down there are some guest rooms, a library and the music room." Tessa said, pointing to the left. "Straight down there's a big lounge and a work out room, and to the right here are all the main bedrooms."

Kit nodded along, observing everything around him. As he walked by a small table, he had to resist the urge to slip a small abandoned necklace into his pocket.

"Here's your room." Jem said, pushing open a door on the right. Even the doors themselves were beautiful- double-doors that were a milky white color, outlined in small strands of gold. "We haven't done anything to it yet, since we figured you might want to decorate it yourself."

Kit looked around. They certainly hadn't done anything to it- it had probably been a guest room before. The walls were all a plain white, and a simple queen bed was pushed to the side. A nightstand stood beside it, and what seemed to be a desk was pushed to the opposite wall. There was even a couch and a comfortable-looking chair, a small coffee table sitting in front of them.

Kit nodded, crossing his arms. "Cool."

"Alright." Tessa smiled. "Well I know it's late, and you've had a long day, so feel free to make yourself at home. If you want more food or anything else you're welcome to come down."

The family stepped away, Mina already being scooped up into Jem's arms.

"Goodnight, Kit." Jem called as they walked off, leaving Kit in the hallway of the large mansion.

Kit sighed, and took a step into his new room, closing the door after him.

The fancy decór seemed so strange to him- he'd never been in a house like this without the intention of stealing, and his ratty jacket and torn jeans didn't seem to belong in a place like this. Flopping into the bed, Kit sighed. This would surely be strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> U like?
> 
> Ahhh i love kit so much omg he's just a boy used to not having any love in his life


	3. Boredom and More Rich People

IN HIS SEVENTEEN YEARS OF LIFE, Kit had lived in many different places.

Johnny moved around a lot, so they'd often be changing cities every three or four months. Berlin, Tokyo, Rio, Reykjavik, Paris- at this point, he'd almost seen it all. 

But Los Angeles was different. He'd seen cities like it, sure- hot and alive, with uncountable tourists and miles of beach, but it had a feel to it that just made Kit confused.

Already, after not even twenty-four hours, he kinda liked it there. Or at least, the couple square miles he could see from his bedroom window and the few allyways he explored late last night, when he was sure Jem and Tessa were asleep.

He hadn't talked to them since yesterday. They'd allowed him to simply hole up in his room, bringing him both breakfast and then lunch. Kit didn't understand why they weren't yelling at him to come out, to talk to them or do something. It's what anyone else would've done.

But he knew that despite how strangely kind the couple were, they'd have to come knocking on his door eventually. 

It was late afternoon, the sun shining through to his nicely furnished room, when a knock came to the door.

Kit looked up from his place on the bed, where he lay glaring at the ceiling. He'd taken a shower earlier, in the nicest bathroom he'd ever occupied. Even the soaps had his hands twitching to steal. So his hair was still slightly damp, and he pushed it out of the way as he went to reluctantly open the door.

There stood Jem in all his glory- he had a small, understanding smile on his face that nearly infuriated Kit. What did he know of what Kit was going through? What gave him the right to be understanding?

"Kit," Jem said. "You may stay in there all day if you wish, but tomorrow we are bringing you to meet some friends of ours for dinner. My cousin won't stop nagging me to meet you."

Kit remained nuetral. "If I have to, fine." He went to slam the door, but it was caught by the man's foot.

"Now that's the thing." Jem tilted his head. "We want you to want to go. You can't just stay in there forever, you know. You're going to school on Monday, and you have to interact with us at some point."

Kit shrugged. "I can find a way."

Jem stared at him. "As I said, stay in here as long as you want. But at 6 o'clock tomorrow, you are going to be dressed and ready to go meet my family." He stepped back. "Goodnight, Kit."

••••••

As much as he hated to admit it, Kit was bored.

He'd been staring at the same wall for about a day and a half now, and it had gotten old. Going through the whole room's possessions repeatedly had also gotten rather dull.

After his conversation with Jem last night, Kit had layed back down and eventually went to sleep. He'd woken around three am, when he decidedly to sneak out the window and explore more of the new city he was living in.

It calmed him, walking through the streets at such a dark hour, the cold biting at his cheeks and only dim streetlights to lead the way. He discovered a small twenty-four hour convenient store, where he bought some cookies and chocolate that he devoured on a dim curbside.

When he arrived back at the house a couple hours later, everything was exactly how he left it besides the small note sitting on his bedside table.

_If you decide to make your late-night wanderings a habit, please be sure to be safe._

_\- Tessa_

Kit was once again startled. It's like they knew every move he would make before he even made it. It was starting to freak him out a little.

The following day he didn't do much, smoked a bit out of the window and actually unpacked his things. The boredom didn't set in until about noon.

He decided to get ready for the stupid dinner, despite the part of him that said to screw it, hop the window and ditch it all. A bigger part of him was curious. Jem and Tessa were so cynical, so kind, so- his vocabulary wasn't advanced enough to find a word that described them.

So he took a shower, ran his hands through his hair for his signature "messy" look, and looked over what to wear. 

He settled on a simple pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and his tattered leather jacket. If he was going to make an impression on these people, it might as well be the right one. He cuffed the ends of his jeans and slipped tiny black studs into his ears before settling back on the bed.

For a while he contemplated coming out of the room early, maybe finding Jem and Tessa and making some pointless, awkward small talk, but decided against it. His stubborness wouldn't allow him to do anything but sit and wait like the grumpy teenager he was.

True to his word, a knock came to Kit's door at 6 o'clock. Kit opened it with a blank look.

"Great, you're ready." Tessa smiled at him. "Jem's just finishing up with Mina, so we should get down to the car."

Kit followed her in silence, back down to the sleek black car Kit still thought that they could get an even better model on based on their money.

"Alright." Said Jem, walking up beside them. Mina fumbled in his arms, chewing on her fist. "Emma's expecting us soon, so lets go."

The four made their way into the car, Kit grimacing from his seat beside Mina. 

Jem started the drive and it was quiet for a while before Tessa broke it.

"These friends of ours, they might be a bit... excessive." She gave a small half-smile. "They all have very large personalities."

Jem made a sound of agreement. "Yup. Emma, my cousin, will definitely ramble on with questions and comments. I don't want you to feel pressured to answer anything." He glanced back at Kit, who looked down.

"Ok." He shrugged.

"Well I suppose I should explain a bit." Tessa sighed. "Emma lives with the Blackthorns, who we're going to see. The Blackthorns are a family of seven kids, but the two oldest are off somewhere else so it'll just be the five of them and Emma. So don't feel too overwhelmed."

Kit nodded. He felt tempted to ask what happened to the Blackthorn's parents, but he quickly realized that he didn't care. The rest of the ride was silent.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to a large house, pretty much a mansion like Jem and Tessa's. Kit grimaced. Rich people.

As Jem came around and unbuckled Mina, Kit allowed himself to take a small breath before getting out. He wouldn't be any different with these people. He would glare, he would ignore, he would defer conversation.

He stayed completely blank as they walked up to the door and Jem rang the doorbell.

Mere seconds later, a dark-skinned woman opened the door with a smile. Kit noticed absently that a intricate tattoo of a silver and orange fish ran along her cheek.

"Jem, Tessa." The woman smiled. "Great to see you again. And little Mina." She cooed.

"Hey Diana." Tessa smiled. "I didn't know you were joining us."

"Oh, I'm not." She shook her head. "I was just on my way out to meet Gwyn. He's been really busy these days."

"Oh, that's too bad." Tessa sympathised. "Well, this is Kit." She looked back at him with a smile, and he had to hold back the urge to snarl. He instead met the glance of the woman with a blank, bored look.

"Oh, the Herondale you two decided to take on?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't Will enough?"

Jem's eyes only clouded with sadness for the briefest of seconds before he chuckled. "Shush."

"Well we don't want to keep you from Gwyn." Tessa moved from the doorway so the other woman could get through. "Tell him we said hello."

"Alright." Diana nodded, walking past them. "See you all later. And nice to meet you, Herondale #2!"

"It's Rook." Kit muttered bitterly. He knew that this cousin of his's last name had been Herondale, as his mother's maiden name had been, but that didn't make it his.

"Well." Jem looked back at him. "Let's go in, shall we?"

•••••

"Is the food ready?"

"Not yet Em, I still have to-"

"Well hurry up! We've got a schedule to keep here! They're gonna get here soon!"

Ty was surrounded by chaos as his family bustled around, trying to get everything perfect. He knew that they were really looking forward to this dinner. He sat quietly in the corner, headphones pulled up and reading quietly. He had no interest in partaking in any of... whatever was going on. For a moment he thought he smelt gas.

If he was being honest, Ty was kind of excited to meet the new addition to the Carstairs family as well. Jem and Tessa and Mina were all such amazing people, and he was eager to meet this Christopher.

"Ty? Ty, I think I just heard them pull up! Put your book away!" Said Dru, invading his space with a large grin.

Ty gave a little amused smile and put down his book.

"They're walking up the driveway!" Livvy reported from her position by the window, peeking through the curtains. "Now they're talking to Diana!"

"What does he look like?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Hold on, I can't see his face- holy shit he just turned around, he's so hot I think I'm gonna swoon."

Julian gave a loud dissaproving groan and pulled her away from the curtain before they could catch sight of her.

"Alright, I think they're coming in, is everybody ready?" Emma whispered. Everyone gave their nods in reply.

"Alright, well-"

"Emma? Emma where are you? I thought you'd jump at us the moment we got here." Came Jem's familiar voice from the next room over.

Emma laughed. "In the kitchen, Jem!"

Jem appeared in the doorway, holding Mina. Tessa was not far behind him.

His whole family, including Ty himself, seemed to tilt their heads a bit and squint their eyes to see behind them. Once they were in the room completely, Ty was able to finally get a good look at him.

Livvy was right. Livvy was _very_ right.

This boy was the hottest guy Ty had ever seen. Not that he was a good judge, of course, Ty didn't spend his free time scouting out cute boys. But damn, he must be right with this one. His blonde hair looked so messy yet effortlessly styled, and his eyes were so blue. Too bad they were only looking boredly over the family, not showing any interest at all. He wore a leather jacket, and though Ty would never admit it, he honestly loved the "badboy" vibe it gave off.

"You must be Christopher!" Emma grinned, stepping forward. "I'm so glad that you're here."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "It's Kit."

By the Angel, even his voice was a blessing.

"Kit, this is my cousin Emma." Jem grinned. "And over there are the Blackthorns." Kit gave them a nod.

Obviously Livvy wasn't going to accept that. "Hi!" She grinned, stepping closer to him. "I'm Livia, but everyone calls me Livvy. This here," she reached back, and with much reluctance from his part, pulled Ty up to stand beside her. "Is my twin Ty."

"Hi." Kit muttered bitterly to her. As his eyes skimmed over Ty, they seemed to pause for a moment. The blue orbs taking in Ty for far longer than anything else in the room. But Ty had barely enough time for the beginnings of a blush before Kit was back to staring at the wall.

"I'm Dru," Dru said as she sauntered up to them, smirking. She looked a little scary to be honest, with her black skull shirt and black jeans. She had a wicked expression to go along with the aesthetic. "Your local neighborhood goth."

Ty thought he saw the slightest of a smile on Kit's face at that.

"This is Julian, my boyfriend." Emma introduced. "And over there is the youngest, Tavvy." She pointed to Tavs, where he looked up to give a wave before looking back down at his DS.

Kit nodded, and seeing as everyone was staring at him expectantly, reluctantly bit out: "It's nice to meet you."

"Great." Jem nodded, walking toward the archway that went to the dining room. "Well I guess it's time for food, isn't it?"

"Yah, let's eat." Emma agreed, pulling Julian with her to get the food.

And when they all started walking to the dining room, Ty took another glance back at Kit. His sky blue eyes were flicking around the room, fingers fidgeting with something deep inside his pocket. 

And from just what he knew about Kit Rook so far, Ty could already tell that this boy was a mystery just waiting to be solved.

And who better to solve this mystery than Ty?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeeeee kitty has met ppl I repeat kitty has met
> 
> Fyi the places I listed at the beginning r places that johnny rook has lived throughout his life (found them on the shadowhunter wiki lol)
> 
> Anyways hope u enjoyeddd


	4. Joy is Weird

KIT WAS, IN LACK OF A BETTER WORD, A BIT OVERWHELMED.

In his seventeen years of life, he'd only ever had dinner with his father. A dead silence of forks scraping and throats clearing, eyes drawn down and utensils gripped dangerously tight. Some days it was even less than that—his father would be away, out on "business." Those days, Kit would sit and eat in the cold house by himself, as much of his childhood had always been.

But dinner with the Blackthorns and Carstairs'-well, that was something else entirely.

He hadn't been in any way prepared for the onslaught of _noise_ that it brought on. Of course, Kit was no stranger to loud noises, having often been surrounded by pounding music or blaring sirens, but noises of laughter and joy were definitely new to him.

Thankfully, conversation mostly stayed clear of him- it was much more focused on the Blackthorn girl Livvy, who had apparently recently acquired a boyfriend, and to Jem when he recounted some story about a woman named Lily.

Kit didn't pay either conversation much mind. He was much more focused on glaring down at the table, or staring at the wall, sitting so ridgedly in his seat that it was painfully obvious how out of place he felt.

Beside him sat Tessa, who would glance over at him worriedly every few minutes, and across the table sat the gray-eyed Blackthorn boy.

Ty. That was his name. From Kit's first glance at him, he had already been entranced. How beautiful, he'd thought, as they locked eyes and Kit took in the boy's features. The raven-black hair, the pale skin and soft jawline, and the piercing silver eyes that Kit couldn't find himself escaping.

Kit blinked in surprise as he realized that. Yes, this boy was beautiful. Differently from how the other boys and girls were– they were usually beautiful in a way that was purely physical. Hot or cute, Kit figured was a better word for them. But this Ty person, the look in his eyes, the small expressions he showed—it was as if his very soul was beautiful as well as his outside.

Ty hadn't spoken much either. He made a few comments about Livvy's boyfriend and smiled a bit, but for the most part his gaze stayed focused on the table. His fingers would occasionally come above the table line, allowing Kit to see them fiddling with what he figured was an earbud wire. Kit thought that was a bit strange, to be listening to music while at dinner with your family, but didn't ponder on it.

Every once in a while, Kit would catch Ty's gray eyes flicking up, locking his gaze with Kit's before one of them would look away. It wasn't exactly awkward, the quick look the two would share, but more of a curious exchange of glances.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Kit jumped a little, startled. Realizing it was just Tessa peering down at him, he also noticed that the whole table seemed to have quieted, and were now focusing their attention on him.

Kit flinched internally. He knew it would have to happen at some point, but he had hoped that he wouldn't have to socialize with them for at least a bit longer.

"How do you like Los Angeles so far?" The blonde girl, Emma, asked. She had a twinkle in her eye and a small half-smirk playing on her lips that wasn't exactly mocking, but not entirely genuine either.

Kit shrugged. "Fine. Hot."

Emma chuckled. "That about sums it up."

There was a beat of silence before the girl Dru leaned forward. "I'm curious, where exactly did you live before? I heard it was far away."

Kit glanced at her, recognizing the glint in her eye. She was trying to get him to open up more, to share something about his past. He wouldn't let her get to him.

"Brazil." He answered boredly. "Though I'd only been there for a month or so. Me and my dad, we moved around a lot." His tone was level, not changing even a bit when mentioning his recently dead father.

"Oh?" Julian contributed. "What did your dad do?"

"He was a criminal." Kit answered, with a tone much too calm for the shocked eyes around the table. "Stole for a living. Traded secrets and lies. He was very connected to the black market, I think he was even in contact with the mafia at some point." He shrugged.

Kit got a bit of sick satisfaction at the small sound of distress from somewhere across the table. They were all wide-eyed, in surprise and disgust Kit guessed, and were glancing at each other, to Jem and Tessa, and back to Kit.

It was obvious that the Blackthorns hadn't known much about where Kit came from, and he was glad to let them know that he wasn't all that similar to the couple who took him in. He wasn't kind or empathetic as Jem and Tessa were—Kit was a criminal, just like his father. He didn't care for others. He was selfish and rude, and if given the chance, Kit would be out of here in a second. He'd run away, to this city's Shadow Market maybe, and he'd start a life for himself.

Kit took a quick glance up, for just long enough to see that Ty didn't seem to have reacted at all. He didn't seem repulsed, or even surprised. He just stared back at Kit with the same curious expression he'd been sporting all evening.

It was obvious that nobody seemed to know what to say. Emma and Julian glanced between each other, and back to Jem and Tessa.

"So can you speak a bunch of languages then?"

Kit's eyes flashed back to those silvers that seemed to be enchanting him more and more. A small part of Kit worried that if he were to spend an entire day with Ty, he might become so infatuated that he'd never be able to stay away.

Quickly slipping back into his mask, Kit shrugged again. "Little bits and pieces of a bunch of languages, definitely. But nothing fluent."

"And what about the sights? Have u seen the Big Ben, or the Great Wall of China, or the Parthenon? I've always wanted to go to Greece."

Kit broke a small smile at Ty's eager tone, not able to help it. "I went to Greece when I was younger, maybe nine or ten. I hadn't paid much attention to the architecture."

Ty gave him a small smile back and, realizing what he was doing, Kit's stare went blank again, and he looked away.

Tessa, as most at the table, seemed to have caught the interaction and Kit's small smile. Thankfully, she seemed to take pity on him and changed the topic to Tavvy's school science fair. As everyone slowly turned their attention to the young Blackthorn, Kit gave another glance at Ty, who was already staring right back.

•••••

Once dinner finished, the two families seemed to migrate to the living room. Julian and Emma were quick to excuse themselves into the kitchen to get a start on dishes, Jem trailing after them. Kit suspected that he just wanted to spend some quality time with his cousin.

Kit had thankfully been able to slip away, telling Tessa that he had to use the restroom. She rattled off directions, but he paid no mind to them as he walked off into one of the many hallways.

Kit wandered around the large house, taking a deep breath from everything. It was a little emotionally draining, being around all those people who would do anything for each other. Who would die for each other.

Kit soon found himself in a long hall of what seemed to be bedrooms, seeing as some of the doors were wide open. Peering in, Kit saw several pairs of unmade beds and scattered clutter.

Kit stalked past all the doors to the end of the hall, where a window was cracked to view the outside. He yanked it all the way open and stuck his head out, taking a good breath of fresh air.

Sighing, Kit fell back to lean against the wall underneath the window. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a cigarette pack and his lighter.

Taking a long sigh into his cigarette, Kit leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. He was so tired, not physically, but mentally. It had been less that a week and his whole life had changed—his father died, and he was shipped off to a different country to live with some strange rich couple.

"That kills, you know."

Kit cracked an eye open, not entirely surprised to see the gray-eyed boy in the hallway near him. Taking the cigarette from his mouth, Kit lazily smirked. "Hasn't killed me yet."

Ty took a step closer. "Though admittedly it wasn't lung cancer, cancer did kill my mother." His eyes were fiery. "So it can and probably will kill you if you keep that up."

Kit gazed at the boy, his eyes softening. Giving a roll of his eyes, he stubbed out the cigarette. "Sorry 'bout your mom."

Ty shrugged. "It was a long time ago." He took a tentative step forward, and when Kit didn't react, slid down the wall a few feet from him.

It was silent for a few minutes. Kit was lost in his thoughts, and Ty seemed perfectly content just fiddling with a stray thread from his dark sweater.

"So what's the deal?" Kit finally asked. Ty glanced up questioningly. "Your mom died, what about your dad?"

"Dad got mixed into some bad stuff when I was about ten." Ty looked down. "He got murdered a little while into it."

Kit nodded, and soon it was back to silence.

"What about you?" Ty asked. "What happened to your mom?"

Kit sighed. "Never knew her. Dad used to tell me she was just some whore, but he let it slip a little while ago that she was just another person wrapped up in the wrong things." He shrugged. "Never really got a straight answer."

Ty nodded. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I never really got why people say that when they have nothing to be sorry for."

Kit tilted his head. "I think they're just trying to convey empathy, you know? Like saying that you're sorry they have to go through this, they don't deserve it."

"I suppose." Ty nodded. "You're going to school on Monday, right? Idris High?" Kit nodded. "Yah, I go there too."

Kit leaned his head back, not knowing what else to say. It's not like he could go off on this strange boy about his personal problems, or about how he could care less about going to this new highschool.

It was at that moment that Kit heard the light footsteps heading toward them. His head snapped up, going slightly rigid as he saw Livvy walking toward them, her brown locks swaying behind her. She was looking between the two of them with a strange look, giving Ty a meaningful glance that Kit couldn't quite decipher.

"Um, Tessa and Jem are about ready to go." She informed Kit, not taking her eyes from her brother, who Kit would say looked sheepish. "They asked me to come find you."

Kit nodded, standing up fluidly. He began stalking down the hall with the full intention of leaving without a word, but stopped at the last moment due to poor self control.

Looking over his shoulder, Kit gave one last look at the strange silver-eyed boy.

"I guess I'll see ya around." With a nod from the Blackthorn boy being his only response, Kit continued down the hall with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just- *shefs kiss*
> 
> *stares* *looks* *longing* *curiosity* *sExUal TeNsIon*
> 
> This chapter is so long for me omg ur welcome.
> 
> Thank you for readingggg I appreciate y'all so much for reading and commenting and voting❤️❤️


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